Never the Limit
by SolrSurfr3
Summary: A girl from Earth finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime when a strange crystal transports her to a world of flying motorcycles, mountain-top kingdoms, and nonstop action. But if she wants survive, she'll need to trust a certain team of heroes. A/OC
1. Start of the Storm

Greetings to you, my fellow Storm Hawks fans!

So, you know those stories about a girl from the real world being transported to Atmos, joining the Storm Hawks, and falling in love with Aerrow?

… Yeah, this is one of those.

*Crowd boos*

I know, I know, they aren't always that great. In fact, they're usually a breeding ground for Mary Sue's and OOC. But fear not, for I have done my research one this. I made sure my OC isn't annoyingly cliché, the canon characters remain true to the show, the plot is has just as much action as romance, and the story is written fairly well (meaning not in the first person. I kinda hate when stories are written that way, the word 'I' is used way to much. No offense to anyone; just a personal biased opinion). So, if you're willing to give me a chance on this, I promise not to disappoint. However, if you're still not convinced, I'm not stopping you from clicking that little 'Back' button on the toolbar. The choice it yours.

As for me, I'm gonna go ahead and get this party started!

Storm Hawks and all related characters, locations, etc. © Nerd Corps (Actually, most of that doesn't really come into play until the next chapter. Still, don't wanna get sued)

Anything you don't recognize from the show © yours truly

Oh, and the lyrics are from Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Couldn't resist, I apologize.

Okay! Let's make it happen, Cap'n!

* * *

Chapter 1: Start of the Storm

A storm was coming. That's all Kaelie could think about as she stared off into the dark clouds brewing outside of the classroom window. Despite her long-held fear of thunder and lightning, she couldn't help but be fascinated. True, they were loud, unstable, and potentially dangerous, but there was also something beautiful about them. So much sheer power concentrated into an unstoppable force of nature, able to level forests and send man and beast alike running for cover. You'd have to be crazy to brave the wind and lightning of a raging storm. It was a force to be reckoned with.

The brown-eyed girl snapped out of her musings when the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. "Finally," she murmured under her breath, stuffing her books into her bag and swinging it over her shoulder as she exited the quickly emptying math room. The only thing on Kaelie's mind was getting out of the prison she so loosely called high school and going home. She stopped at her locker, entered the combination, and pulled. It didn't budge. She punched the cold blue metal and tried again, this time getting it open. Kaelie wasn't a patient person, especially not at times like these, so as soon as it was open she grabbed her jacket and slammed it shut again.

The hallways were already packed with students, and the claustrophobic feeling they were giving her was just another reason to get out of there. The brunette wove her way through the swarms of teenagers, flinching every time someone knocked into her without so much as a passing glance. She should've been used to it by now. Ever since middle school she'd been virtually invisible to most of the student body. 'Not that I'm much of a people person anyway,' she reminded herself. There were a few students who talked to her every now and then, but generally, most people gave her a pretty wide berth. In truth, it wasn't completely unwelcome. She'd rather being alone with her own thoughts than listen to the other sophomore girls rant and rave about clothing and cute boys on the football team.

Not really paying attention, Kaelie stifled a curse when she knocked into a bulky jock who'd decided to start up a conversation right in the middle of the hallway. Groaning in annoyance, she glanced around for a way past the impromptu roadblock. Instead, her eyes landed on a guy and his girlfriend making out next to a row of lockers. She scoffed and looked away, thinking how obnoxious it was that couples couldn't things like that in private. Or at least, trying to think it. Deep down, the prominent emotion was jealousy. Though she was loath to admit it, she wanted something like that, someone who cared about her and made her feel special. Kaelie shoved that thought from her mind as soon as it arrived. That wasn't going to happen any time soon. Most of the guys in her school were arrogant jerks, and besides, she was too plain looking to impress anybody. It'd better if she just forgot about it and moved on.

Finally, the jock in her path moved just enough for her to squeeze past, letting her get to the door and finally out of the building. Outside, the air was humid and smelled like rain. Kaelie was the only one who seemed to notice. Everyone else was too busy chatting with friends or complaining about the truckloads of homework they received. Intent on driving out the noise, the sophomore jammed a pair of headphones over her ears and switched her iPod on.

-And I'd give up forever to touch you-

-'Cause I know that you feel me somehow-

-You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be-

-And I don't wanna go home right now-

-And all I can taste is this moment-

-And all I can breathe is your life-

-But sooner or later it's over-

-I just don't wanna miss you tonight-

Had she been paying attention, Kaelie might have taken note of the group of junior boys running through the parking lot like a flock of headless chickens. Unfortunately, she didn't even notice them until she was rudely knocked off balance and landed face down on the grass with a small yell. Growling with her headphones askew, she pushed herself up onto her knees, intent on giving the knuckleheads a piece of her mind, when she noticed something shining among the blades of grass. Kaelie looked at it strangely, and, ever curious, gently wrapped her fingers around the object and brought it up to her face for a closer look.

The crystal was relatively small, just a few centimeters larger than a size C battery, and it looked like something that should belong in a museum or under a glass case in a jewelry store. The gem was cut flawlessly, its facets catching the light and shimmering like stars. Its color was similar to that of an amethyst, soft, deep violet with flecks of gold scattered within. Despite its size, there was something very impressive about the stone. Almost powerful.

Kaelie carefully examined the crystal with interest. Who would lose something so beautiful? Surely, the perfect stone must have cost a small fortune. She'd never seen anything so delicately fashioned, and the substance itself unique and dazzling. This was the kind of object that was kept locked away in glass cases, not carried around in backpacks and dropped on the side of a parking lot. Taking one last look at the artifact, Kaelie tucked it securely into her jean pocket. She'd figure out where it came from later. Right now she had to get home or her mom would start texting her and asking where she was. Standing up and straightening her headphones, the teen trudged homeward, one hand clenched around the strange stone in her pocket.

oooo

Her mom's SUV was already in the garage when she got home, but her dad's compact wasn't. Yet again, he was on a business trip to a country halfway across the world. When Kaelie was little, her dad would always bring her back little figurines and souvenirs from his travels, but now that she was older, that didn't happen nearly as often. Now, he was just plain gone most of the week and working from home the rest of it. Honestly, she didn't mind too much. Hers was one of those fathers who'd grown up in a family of perfectionists, and quite frankly, Kaelie preferred not to be criticized on everything she did.

As silently as possible, the teenager pushed the door open and snuck inside. As per usual, her mom was in the kitchen seated at her computer, probably checking her emails. Kaelie crept towards the stairs, slowly and quietly. Maybe if she was lucky, her mom wouldn't-

"Kaelie, can you come here for a second?"

The girl in question groaned quietly from one of the middle steps. So close. Reluctantly, she made her way back downstairs and over to the desk where her mother was sitting. Kaelie knew from experience that if her mom needed to talk to her, it probably wasn't about anything good. "Yeah, Mom?"

Her mother looked up, her expression unreadable. "I got a call from your history teacher today. She says you haven't been turning in your assignments." Kaelie swore mentally. Why was she the only one who couldn't get away with anything? The other students in her classes didn't do half of the work that she did. "Care to explain why that is?"

Kaelie sighed. "It was just two worksheets, Mom. It's not a big deal."

"You were supposed to have done them for homework over the weekend." Despite her mom's calm tone, she had to suppress the urge to flinch. Being spoken to quietly was far worse than being yelled at. You could clearly hear the disappointment in a person's voice when their speech was even.

"I'm sorry. I just forgot to do them, okay?"

"It's not okay. This isn't the first time you haven't done your homework. School is your job right now, Kaelie. You can't just choose not to do the work."

'Maybe if the work wasn't so pointlessly boring, that wouldn't be a problem.' "I know, I get it, and I'm sorry. Can I go now?" She turned to leave without waiting for an answer, wanting nothing more than to lock herself in her room for the rest of the day.

"Mikaela Angeline Radshaw, do not walk away when I'm talking to you." Kaelie halted, cringing at the sound of her full name. Her parents only ever used it when she was in real trouble. She heard her mom stand up from her chair, but refused to turn and face her. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but it has to stop. You used to be a straight-A student, now the grades on your report cards are low B's and C's. This is the year when colleges start looking at your grades and deciding whether or not they're going to accept you. You've got to buckle down and start doing some real work from now on, alright?"

Kaelie didn't respond. She wanted to tell her mom that it was hard to focus on work when the days were all the same and seemed to blend together. She wanted to tell her how going through the school day with virtually no one to talk to was anything but enjoyable. She wanted to explain that high school wasn't the same as it was when her mom was a student, that there were more cliques and it was almost impossible for people like her to fit in. Instead, she opted to remain silent, knowing that her mom probably wouldn't understand how she felt anyway.

Behind her, her mother sighed. "Look, I've got to go to Nick's basketball game. Please do some work while I'm gone? I'll be back in a few hours." Kaelie remained silent and motionless, listening as her mom grabbed her purse, pulled her jacket on, and left the kitchen. As soon as the car started up, the girl stormed up the stairs and into her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She knew it was pointless, since no one else was there, but the locked door gave her a sense of peace and security. It let her know that she could be alone with her thoughts for a little while. Dropping her heavy backpack onto the carpeted floor, she flopped facedown onto her bed, sorrow and anger bubbling up inside of her.

She hated this. She hated being alone all the time, even in a school with hundreds of other kids. She hated that she couldn't ever impress her parents, unlike her older brother, Nick, who was the star player of every sport he did and always seemed to make them proud. She hated that she was expected to do everything right, even though she was just human. Most of all, she hated the boring routine she had to deal with, day in and day out. Nothing interesting ever happened in this town, especially not to her. She couldn't understand how everyone else could possibly be content with living such an uneventful life!

Sitting up on her bed, Kaelie stared blankly into the mirror on her dresser. A short, slightly tanned girl with plain brown eyes and unruly brown hair stared back at her, wearing a dark purple t-shirt and a pair of worn out jeans. She wasn't particularly pretty or thin, but not unattractive either, she supposed. She didn't have any particularly unique features. Just a perfectly ordinary girl, sitting in a perfectly ordinary room, doomed to lead a perfectly ordinary life.

Sighing, she opened her side table drawer and pulled out a small sketchbook. Pictures of bizarre creatures and fantastic landscapes greeted her as Kaelie flipped through the pages, lying back on her bedspread. This was the kind of life she wanted, one of adventure and excitement, where she was never quite sure what was going to happen next. She'd often close her eyes and imagine herself flying, free as a bird with no ties to anywhere or anyone. She wanted to travel through the worlds she read about in her books, where good and evil clashed time and again and danger was always right on the brink.

A gust of wind rattling the windows snapped her back out of her daydreams. The storm was starting. Fat raindrops were already beginning to pound against the side of the house. Glancing out the window warily, Kaelie reached into her pocket and pulled out the crystal she'd found earlier.

She clicked the light on the bedside table on, intent on getting a better look at the stone. It was beautiful, almost ethereal looking, and it felt warm in her hand. She couldn't imagine who had shaped it or why, but there was something unique about the stone, as if it had been cut with some greater purpose in mind.

Kaelie groaned, shaking her head. Once again, she was fusing fantasy with reality to satisfy her own desire for excitement. It was just a crystal, completely ordinary in nature. It was pretty, but not magical, no matter how much she wished it was. "I really have been reading too much fiction," she muttered, looking at the gem in her hands. "But thinking about other worlds in the only thing making this one tolerable." Sighing, Kaelie closed both hands around the stone and closed her eyes. "I wish I could get out of here."

A blast of thunder shook the house, almost giving the poor girl a heart attack. The lamp flickered for a moment, and then turned off completely as the electricity was cut. Outside, storm clouds had blotted out the sun, turning day into night and making it next to impossible to see. The darkness was held at bay as a soft glow appeared, slowly growing larger and brighter. Kaelie slowly opened her hands, revealing the now luminous crystal. Every instinct screamed to drop the object, but she was frozen on the spot. Soon the entire room was bathed in lavender light, forcing her to shut her eyes against the brightness. This couldn't be happening, not for real. This was nuts!

An explosion of blinding light, a howl of gale-force wind, and everything went black.

oooo

A groan escaped from Kaelie's throat as she woke up with a splitting headache. It felt as if someone had turned the inside of her skull into a demolition derby. She kept her eyes shut and tried to think of absolutely nothing until the searing pain died down to a manageable throb. "I have really gotta stop falling asleep while listening to my iPod," she muttered, slowly opening her eyes. What she saw threw her for a loop.

This wasn't her room. The violet paint and sketches posted to the walls had been replaced by heavily blocks of stone and a cold cement floor. There was still a door and a window, but they were effectively blocked with thick metal bars. This room wasn't a bedroom in any way, shape, or form. It reminded her instead of a cell one would find in a medieval dungeon. The only difference was the lamp that glowed dimly above her and the dormant red lights lining the hallway outside the door, proof of electricity or at least some kind of power.

Kaelie lifted herself off of the ground slowly, trying to make sense of this. This couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of crazy dream. It was then that she noticed the crystal she'd found earlier was still clenched tightly in her hand. The events from before she blacked out came back all at once. The strange light, the storm—and her wish. Had the crystal...?

"Hello?" Kaelie's voice echoed off of the thick walls around her, giving it an eerie, hollow sound. This whole place was way too real. Usually her dreams were clouded and bizarre, and made little to no sense. Everything here was solid and tangible. She pressed a hand against the wall and could feel the rough, unpolished surface biting into her palm. "What is going on here?" she whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

Confused and getting more anxious by the second, Kaelie turned to the window. Maybe if she figured out where she was, things would start making a little more sense. She strode towards it, the rubber soles of her gray converse sneakers scraping against the ground. Instead of finding answers, though, what she saw caused her to ask more questions. There were storm clouds, just like there had been at home, but no rain. She must have been pretty high up, though, because the clouds were above and below her line of sight. And since when were bolts of lightning an ominous shade of crimson? Sharp, curved crags of stone pierced the clouds like claws, but other than that there was nothing. No buildings, no land, nothing but stormy skies.

The teenager jumped back as something big flew past the window out of nowhere. She hadn't gotten a good look, but she had seen metal, so it wasn't any kind of animal. Creeping back to the opening, she quickly realized what she'd seen. There were people flying out there, riding weird contraptions that looked like the cross between a biplane and a motorbike. All of the pilots were dressed in dark uniforms and carried weapons with them. Even the vehicles themselves looked intimidating, their wings razor-edged and sinister vulture-like emblems on their sides. Kaelie watched as the group of soldiers flew into the clouds and out of sight, wishing she could follow them or at least know what was going on.

"Well, one thing's for sure," she muttered humorlessly to herself. "I am definitely not in Kansas anymore..."

* * *

Well, whad'ya think? Not so bad, now was it?

Seriously, though, I'd love to hear your opinions of it so far. Not that's there's really that much to comment on at the moment, but still. Just the writing in general. And what do you think of Kaelie? Too much, not enough, any comments at all? I'll probably any suggestions you have to offer.

Oh, and the little one-sided discussion between Kaelie and her mom? I get that all the time from my own parents. Felt kinda nice to use that in a story.

As usual, read, review, flame, worship, whatever. Anything you want to say, I'd like to hear it.

Ciao!


	2. Prison Break

Happy Halloween!

Gods, I love this holiday. It's the only time of the year when you can wear a wacky costume, stay out late, and get free candy. That's like every kid's dream! The only probably is that it seems like the holiday's losing its cool supernatural factor. You're way more likely to see Playboy bunnies and political figures as costume ideas than vampires, werewolves, or bed sheet ghosts. That bugs me.

But hey, that rant was completely random and irrelevant, so let's get to the story, huh?

Special shout-out to Mahou Shoujo Crystallic Katomi, JustBelieve GoBeyond, Strawberry Kaydee, kezzywezzy25, SassyGirl104, and Horserider15 for their alerts, favorites, and reviews. I'm so glad you guys like the story so far, and I promise to make sure it only gets better!

By the way, this is the chapter where the show really starts coming into play, so let me know if I can improve on anything. I tried to make it as true to that series as possible, but hey, I'm only human. If you have any suggestions, tell me and I'll probably use them.

Legal stuff:

Storm Hawks © Nerd Corps

Everything else © ME!

Let's keep on truckin'!

* * *

Chapter 2: Prison Break

"So, remind me why we're doing this again?"

Aerrow, last descendent of the original Storm Hawks and leader of the new squadron, sighed before pressing two fingers to his earpiece. "We went over this, Finn. Piper's crystal scanners picked up a big energy spike from somewhere on Cyclonia, and we have to find out what's causing it."

"I think we're all clear on that," came Stork's dry response from another end of the communication link. "The question is why are _we_ doing this? Why is it that whenever something potentially lethal comes up, _we're_ the ones who have to risk our necks?" The Sky Knight could practically hear the Merb's eye twitching in paranoia.

Finn scoffed. "What's this 'we' stuff? _You _aresafe and sound on the Condor while the rest of us are risking our lives out here!"

"Well, somebody has to be here so we can make a quick getaway, which, undoubtedly, we're going to need."

"Yeah, right. Dude, that is such a load of-"

"Will you two knock it off already?" Piper interrupted, having endured enough of their arguing like toddlers. "The reason we're doing this is because we're the only ones who can get into Cyclonia without being detected."

"Stork's got a point, though," Junko chimed in. "I mean, couldn't we have brought some back-up?"

"Like who?" The marksman sounded skeptical. "The Absolute Zeroes would blow our cover in no time, the Rebel Ducks are always getting captured, and the Rex Guardians? Don't even get me started."

"Guys, focus." Aerrow's team was like his family, but sometimes he had to step in and get everyone back on track. "We're behind enemy lines and surrounded by bad guys. How about a little radio silence?"

"Fine dude, but seriously, I-"

The Sky Knight closed his end of the link, raking his fingers through a mop of crimson hair. He was starting to think that maybe he should've gone on this mission alone, but they needed as many eyes as possible to find out what was going on here. And besides, when things got serious, he knew his team could handle it.

Aerrow checked the small scanner Piper had given each of them. The readings were showing traces of crystal energy, not surprising considering where they were, but nothing similar to the ones they'd detected on the Condor. Clipping the device back onto his belt and sticking to the shadows, the redhead crept farther into the fortress.

oooo

Kaelie sat against one of the stone walls of her prison, feeling absolutely hopeless. She had no idea where she was, how she'd gotten here, how long she'd been here, or more importantly, how she was going to get out. The girl had wanted an adventure, but this wasn't at all what she'd had in mind. The words, 'be careful what you wish for' came to mind, and Kaelie found herself hoping that whoever first said them had met a painful end.

Heaving a sigh, the brunette looked down at the crystal still in her hand. How was it that such a small thing could mess up her life so badly? For a moment, she felt an unreasonable anger for the gem that had caused her so much trouble in such a short amount of time. Scowling, Kaelie clenched her fist around the shard and chucked it at the far wall with all of her strength. Not the most mature thing to do, but it made her feel a bit better. Unfortunately, it didn't shatter upon impact with the hard brick as she'd hoped it would. In fact, it didn't appear to have a scratch on it. Frustrated, Kaelie stood up and grabbed the crystal from the floor, intent on tossing it out the window and out of her life.

Then a better idea struck her.

Kaelie looked at the object in her hand, then at the cell door. Particularly at its hinges. It was a stupid idea, really. Almost downright crazy. The tip of the crystal would probably snap off as soon as she tried. Still, it had been thrown against a wall and was still in perfect condition, so the stone was obviously stronger than it looked. Plus, it wasn't like she had any other ideas. And she sure as hell didn't plan on staying in this cell if there was a way out.

The girl walked up to the door, examining the hinges. The bolts were thick and heavy, but looked just loose enough to come out with the right amount of leverage. Praying to whatever deity was listening up there, she placed the tip of the crystal at the wedge between the two pieces of metal and pushed lightly. The tip didn't break off. So far so good. She tried again, this time harder, and was amazed to see the bolt move a fraction of an inch. After a few more attempts, the bolt fell to the ground with a small clang. Recovering from the shock of the fact that her idea was actually working, Kaelie looked at the crystal in her hand and smiled. "Looks like you're good for something after all."

Minutes later, the last bolt fell to the ground, leaving the door completely unhinged. Slipping the gem into her pocket, the girl grabbed onto the bars of the cell door and, ever so slowly, started pulling it open. Metal scraped against stone as the door slowly came away from its frame. The gap was small, just barely large enough to squeeze through, but it was enough. After a few attempts, the girl was out of the cell and into the hallway. "Yes! Houdini, eat your heart out."

**WEEEEE-OOOOO! WEEEEE-OOOOO!**

As it turned out, she didn't have any time for celebration. Moments after her escape, the lights lining the hallway around her started flashing crimson in time to the wail of an alarm. Kaelie slapped her hands over the ears to block out the noise, her senses suddenly on full alert. "What the- Did I do that?!" She didn't intend to stick around to find out. The halls were clear at the moment, but they probably wouldn't stay that way for long. It was either get out now or get caught by some armed, seriously ticked-off guards. Not much question which one she was choosing. Without waiting another second, she picked a direction and started running, hoping to find some answers or, at the very least, a way out of here.

oooo

A Talon soldier fell to the ground, out cold after a blue energy blast knocked him clear into the wall. Unfortunately, Aerrow hadn't managed to stop him from setting off the alarm. In a matter of minutes, the whole terra would be crawling with fully armed Talons on red alert. Cursing his bad luck, the Sky Knight reopened the comm. link. He was immediately greeted by Finn's voice. "Alright, who set off the fire alarm?"

"One of the guards spotted me," the redhead admitted with reluctance. He'd been so occupied looking for energy spikes he'd neglected keeping himself hidden. "We're out of time. You guys get back to the Condor, I'll meet up with you later."

"We're en route," came Piper's voice. "Be careful, Aerrow."

"Aren't I always?" Aerrow shut off the link before he could get an answer, though he had a good idea of what it would have been. Admittedly, subtly wasn't one of his stronger points. Looking back at the scanner on his belt, he saw that the pulse he'd been following was getting stronger. Whatever the source of the energy spikes was, it was close, and he wasn't leaving without it. Besides, he'd be able to get out before anyone even realized what had happened.

"Over there!"

Or not.

Luckily, only a small sentry group had found him, just a handful of Talon guards. One guy, apparently the leader of the group, smirked. "Well, Sky Knight." he hissed, speaking the title like it was poison. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Take your pick." It took all of Aerrow's self-control not to start laughing. It was funny how Cyclonians always seemed so confident. Of course, that was before the actual fight even started.

"How about _my_ way?" Before any of his would-be captors had a chance to react, the Sky Knight had already launched himself into the air. Concentrating the familiar rush of energy into a single mass, he fired his signature attack at the dumbstruck Cyclonians. Aerrow landed deftly on his feet, right in front of the now-unconscious guards. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind." Sheathing his twin blades with a flourish, the crimson-haired teen started back down the hall and rounded the next corner, following the readings of his scanner.

Only to be greeted by the tip of a crystal spear.

oooo

"Okay, pal, who are you and where the hell am I?" This was _not_ the kind of adventure Kaelie had been hoping for. After breaking out of prison and running around aimlessly for God only knew how long, I became clear that she wasn't getting out of this place without some kind of help. The only good thing was that she hadn't run into any guards yet, so they had to be deaf, stupid, or not looking for her. Either way, that was definitely the plus. She'd also stumbled across an armory of sorts while searching for a way out, so she had a way to defend herself. Not that Kaelie had the slightest idea how to use the bizarre spear-like weapon she'd picked up, but no one had to know that.

Now that she stood face to face with the first living thing she'd seen since being warped out of her bedroom, Kaelie wasn't taking any chances. The whole place just seemed to emanate evil, so it was probably safe to assume that anyone here was anything but friendly. But... the guy she'd just run into didn't seem dangerous. He wasn't dressed like the pilots she'd seen earlier, and looked just as surprised as she felt. In fact, he couldn't have been that much older than she was. And he was actually kind of cu- The brunette quickly derailed that trail of though. _'Focus! This is the _worst_ possible time to go boy-crazy.'_ Besides, he'd yet to answer any of her questions. "Well? I want answers!"

The boy finally managed to snap out of his state of shock. "Okay, okay, just take it easy." He was talking to her like a policeman would a guy with a gun, trying to calm her down. "My name's Aerrow, I'm a Sky Knight. What are you doing on Cyclonia?"

_'Well, that answers two of my questions. And raises so many others. "Sky Knight?" "Cyclonia?" What does that even mean?' _Kaelie sighed, keeping her weapon aimed at the redhead's face. "Look, it's a long story, and it doesn't make much sense to me at this point. Just tell me how to get out of here before those guards find both of us."

"Listen, I'd really like to help, but-"

The boy- Aerrow, that's what he said his name was- was cut off by an insistent beeping sound coming from something on his belt. Kaelie finally lowered her spear, watching in confusion as he grabbed the device and looked at it. "Uh, nice ringtone, dude." He either ignored the comment or didn't hear it. The so-called Sky Knight just looked at the screen, then at her, then back to the screen. Who knew the situation could actually get weirder?

Finally, Aerrow shut off the device, placed it back on his belt, and looked up at her. "Follow me."

Kaelie blinked in surprise. "So... you're helping me now? Wait, what's that thing you were just looking at? Why-"

"I'll explain later, now come on!" Not giving her any choice in the matter, the green-eyed stranger grabbed her by the wrist and half-dragged her back the way he'd come from. After a few seconds, Kaelie was able to match his pace- and almost crashed into him when he stopped short.

"Hey! You could give me a little warning, you-" The girl trailed off when she saw the reason for his sudden halt. At least thirty armed guards blocked their way, with two particularly imposing characters at the front. One was a man, probably early twenty's, with jet black hair and piercing ruby eyes that looked _through_ more than at you, right down into your soul. Tall and threatening, the aura he emitted had a clear message: _Stay out of my way or else_. But as bad as this guy was, he was _nothing_ compared to the girl standing beside him. True, she was young, likely around Kaelie's own age. But the way this girl looked at them... she seemed so much older. Everything about her was cold, sinister, dangerous. This was the kind of person who could _kill_ over and over again and show no remorse. And something told Kaelie that she already had.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," the girl spoke in a sickly sweet voice that made Kaelie's blood run cold. "The leader of the Storm Hawks, walking right into my hands. And you've brought a friend. How quaint." Her thin smile vanished immediately, violet eyes glancing to her side. "Kill them."

The man smiled. "With pleasure."

It was official. This was now the worst day of her life.

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuun!

Cliffhangers are evil, and so am I.

Please review! And once again, have a happy Halloween!


	3. Who's Saving Who?

Hey, my wonderful readers!

Actually, this chapter was going to be longer, but I realized if I didn't find a place to stop, it'd be waaaaaay too long. Besides, I wanted to post a new chapter now since I probably won't be updating for the rest of the month. I decided to joing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) so I'm pretty busy with that. (11,077 words so far! Most I've ever written in such as short amount of time!)

So anyway, this chapter's dedicated to all of my readers, especially:

Kitten 2007

Cold-heart-Angel23

Mahou Shoujo Crystalic Katomi (thanks for the advice, by the way, I will definitely try to remember that :D)

kezzywezzy25

SassyGirl104

and CitySlickerMIA

for their reviews, favorites, alerts, etc. I live off of this stuff, guys! ^^

So when we left off, Aerrow and Kaelie had run into a tad bit of trouble (read "OMG they're both gonna die!) Let's see how they get out of this, shall we? Oh, and if anyone has any advice for writing combat scenes, please offer it. I'm not very good at them. :'(

Storm Hawks (c) Nerd Corps

Kaelie and the story (c) ME!

Let's get this party started!

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Chapter 3: Who's Rescuing Who?

Aerrow had been in a lot of rough situations in his brief career as a Sky Knight, but he didn't need that kind of experience to know that this was bad. Outnumbered with no back-up, facing off against a small army including the Dark Ace and Master Cyclonis herself. Despite the odds, the Sky Knight knew that he had to protect this girl. Whoever she was, she had the source of the energy spikes they'd been picking up. Besides which, he'd have to be completely heartless to just leave her here. Even if she had pointed a spear at him.

So, ever the hero, he pulled his blades out and stepped in front of the girl. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me first."

Dark Ace chuckled coldly. "How very noble of you, Aerrow. Sacrificing yourself to protect an innocent. Don't worry. I'll be sure to make her death painless. You, on the other hand, won't be so lucky."

The Sky Knight actually had the guts to smirk. "Give it your best shot."

Dark Ace unsheathed his own blade, the crystal that powered it giving it a crimson red glow, and fell into a combat stance. Aerrow mimicked his actions, his own weapons bathed in electric blue. The two warriors stared each other down, each waiting for the other to strike. That was the first rule of battle: Never take your eyes off of your opponent. Let your guard down for a second, and the fight's as good as lost.

As if by some unspoken signal, both shot forward at the very same moment, locking weapons with a burst of blue and red sparks. They pulled away almost immediately, and then the real battle began. The clash of steel on steel echoed in the room, every strike blocked and every block countered. Any attempt by one to take the other by surprise was shot down by his opponent. Second rule: Expect the unexpected. Both the Sky Knight and the Talon commander were known for fighting by instinct, resulting in a number attacks that were anything but predictable. It was all improvisation and following your gut. No one interfered, leaving the two to their private battle. Whether in anticipation, fear, or cold amusement, all eyes were fixed on the fight in front of them.

Aerrow only left himself open for a split second, but that was all his enemy needed to take him down. A missed stab gave the crimson-eyed Talon a chance to grab his arm in a near-iron grip. A sharp tug took him off guard and sent him off balance. A knee to the stomach knocked the air from his lungs. A blast of crystal energy sent him sprawling to the hard marble floor.

It was only when he hit the ground that Aerrow begrudgingly recalled the third rule: Use your opponent's strength against him.

The Sky Knight groaned, opening his eyes to see one of his blades inches from his outspread arm. He was too slow to grab it, though, biting back a yelp as a steel-toed boot stepped down on his wrist and sharpened metal was poised in front of his throat, effectively pinning him. The teen glared up at the Dark Ace, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smug, triumphant grin off of his face.

"I have to say, I'm disappointed. I was hoping for more of a challenge from you, Aerrow. Well, the end result is the same, I supposed." The raven-haired swordsman raised his weapon, ready to deliver the final blow...

And found himself face down on the ground before he could even wonder what had happened.

The red-haired Sky Knight watched in shock as the Talon commander struggled to get up, rubbing his wrist where it had been held down. His chartreuse eyes shot to the girl, who just stood there, completely dumfounded, the glow of the crystal spear tip dying away. "Shoot, did I do that?" She stared at the weapon in her hands before a smile broke across her face. "So _that's_ how this thing works!"

Aerrow heaved a sigh of relief, almost laughing at the other teen's enthusiasm. The moment was short lived, though, as his gazed wandered to Master Cyclonis. The dark violet crystal on her staff now sported a flickering glow, and her normally stoic expression had turned to one of suspicious curiosity. It didn't take a genius to tell that she'd figured it out: The strange girl had something powerful with her.

And if there was one thing Cyclonis was known to have a hunger for, it was power.

The boy snapped out of his musings as his apparent savior grabbed him by the arm and hauled him to his feet. "Hope you're not looking for a rematch. Let's go!" Not needing to be told twice, Aerrow took her by the hand once more as they made a run for it, leading the way through the dark labyrinth that was Terra Cyclonia. Behind them, he could hear Cyclonis yelling orders to her soldiers.

"Get them! Kill the Sky Knight if you have to, but I want the girl alive!"

Things were about to get much more interesting.

oooo

This was progressively becoming the most messed-up day of Kaelie Radshaw's teenaged life. Besides not knowing where the hell she was, so far she's broken out of jail, almost skewered a guy with a spear, and blasted a dude with an energy burst from a weapon she'd never used before. And _now_ she was running for her life from someone who obviously didn't want her for anything good. Well, she certainly couldn't say this wasn't an adventure.

"This is insane!" The two teens had stopped for a moment, having outrun the soldiers chasing them, and the girl was having a minor panic attack while trying to catch her breath. "Who was that, what does she want with me?"

"Master Cyclonis. Basically the one person you never want to mess with." Aerrow seemed surprisingly calm for being in this situation, as if it was completely ordinary for him. "And apparently you have something that she wants."

"_What?_ What could I _possibly_ have that she wants?" she snapped, semi-hysterical. Was it really so hard for her to get a straight answer out of this guy? "I don't even know what I'm doing here in the first-!" Her frantic rant was cut off as more guards appeared from one direction and Aerrow yanked her in another, practically dragging her until she was able to start moving under her own force. "Can you at least tell me what the escape plan is?"

"Well..."

"You don't have a plan!"

"No, but I'm good at improvising. Just bear with me and keep running."

"Um, _duh!_" It probably wasn't the best time for her to have an attitude, but this wasn't exactly a situation she was used to. After all the chaos and confusion of the past few hours (at least, she assumed it had been a few hours), Kaelie figured she deserved to know what the hell was going on here. She held her tongue, though, deciding that her questions were better left for a time when people weren't trying to kill them. Once they were out of this place and out of harm's way, she'd be able to grill the so-called Sky Knight for information as much as she wanted.

Unfortunately, it seemed achieving that was easier said than done. Cyclonia, as it was apparently called, was built like a labyrinth, a network of winding hallways with larger chambers scattered throughout. It didn't help that guards were waiting for them at almost every turn, forcing them to back track and try to lose them in the maze. At least Aerrow seemed to have an idea of where they were going. He probably _didn't_, but he at least acted like he did.

The only thing Kaelie had to judge how long they'd been running through this nightmare of a building was the fact that her sides were aching and her lungs felt like they were about ready to shrivel up and _die_. Nick was the athlete in her family, not her. She was the daydreamer who sucked at all sports and had the worst coordination ever. Being chased by armed psychos, however, tended to be a really great motivator when it came to finding a reason to keep running through exhaustion.

In all honesty, Kaelie hadn't been paying much attention to where they'd been going, just as long as her feet were moving fast enough to keep up with the other teen. So she was more than a little surprised when they finally stopped again and she found herself outside. And on the edge of a sheer drop. Swallowing in terror, she quickly backed away from the edge, unable to stop staring at the oblivion below. When she turned back to find at least twenty soldiers, plus the now-seriously-ticked-off guy she'd inadvertently blasted, blocking any escape route, it was pretty clear that they were between a rock and a hard place on this one. It was either get captured by a purely evil teenage girl (and not the kind she usually dealt with) or fall God only knew how many miles before splattering across the ground.

She was having trouble deciding which one sounded more fun.

Making a last-ditch effort fight back, the girl raised her spear, only to have it shot out of her hands by an energy burst. Weaponless and freaking out, she shot Aerrow a hopeful look, praying the Sky Knight had finally "improvised" a decent plan. To her eternal shock and confusion, she saw him stare back at the army... smirking. He actually had the guts to smirk in this situation. Kaelie resisted the urge to slap a palm to her forehead. Of _course_ she'd end up rescued by the guy with a death wish.

A classic evil laugh drew her attention back to the red-eyed leader. "Looks like you've hit the end of the line, Storm Hawk. Nowhere to run now."

Aerrow's smirk only seemed to widen, a gesture that made Kaelie think she really wouldn't like what he was planning. "Yeah, that's where you'd be wrong." With those words, he hooked his arms around Kaelie, stepped back...

And sent them plummeting off the cliff.

Any thoughts of how crazy this guy was and how horrible her luck was disappeared immediately, replaced by pure, suffocating terror. The worst part was that she couldn't even scream. It was like the very first drop on a roller coaster, the one where you go down so fast that your heart gets lodged in your vocal cords and leaves unable to make a sound. Of course, this was ten times worse because there was no track, no cars, and you weren't absolutely positive you'd get out alive. All she could really do was hold onto the other teen for dear life, squeeze her eyes shut, and pray that it'd be over quickly.

The last thing she was expecting was for them to suddenly stop falling. All she felt was a sharp jerk, and suddenly they weren't freefalling to their deaths anymore. Curiosity overrode fear as she dared to open her eyes, one at a time, and look up. She was fairly certain the hang glider-like contraption hadn't been there before, but at the moment, she was far too relieved to care. Her gaze shifted from the artificial wings to Aerrow, who was looking at her with an eyebrow cocked and a lopsided grin on his face. "Wow, you'd think you've never done this before."

"Shut up!" she immediately snapped back, adrenaline still coursing through her system after the terror she'd just been victim to. "You could've warned me!"

"Well, it was kinda spur-of-the-moment." Kaelie glared at him, but kept holding on, not really caring if her nails digging into his skin were hurting him. Yes, he was holding onto her, and she had a pretty good feeling she could trust the Sky Knight not to drop her, but that didn't make her hate this situation any less. "Besides, we're safe now."

The girl scoffed. "Oh, _this_ is what you call safe!" She'd have felt safer walking through a dark alley. In New York City. At night. While wearing the Hope Diamond and a very skimpy outfit.

"Will you relax? I've got everything under-" His assurance was cut off and effectively disproven when an energy blast shot past them, nearly grazing one of the glider wings. Both teens looked up, only to see the already overcast sky further blotted by the flying machines she'd seen earlier. There had to be like fifty of them! And the bolts of red lightning didn't make them look any less intimidating.

"You were saying?" Aerrow seemed to ignore the comment, quickly twisting his body to maneuver them out of the way of another blast. The girl in his arms could help but yell out, holding onto him even tighter. "Now what, genius? We're sitting ducks out here!"

"Give me a second!" It didn't take a detective to point out the slight tinge of worry in his voice. The fact that her "hero" was panicking too didn't reassure her at all. When the Sky Knight's gaze shifted downward, though, she could visible see his eyes light up. "Looks like the cavalry's here."

"Wait, what?"

"Hold on!"

"Don't you dare-!"

Her warning wasn't heeded, however, as the redhead's glider wings retracted to whatever hidden compartment they'd come from, leaving them to the mercy of gravity once more. This time, though, the fall was much shorter. Plus, they actually _hit_ something. Kaelie's knees buckled as her feet came in contact with something metal and none too stable judging by the way it shifted ever so slightly when they landed, forcing her to lean against the Aerrow for support. Opening her eyes, not entirely sure when she'd closed them again, the last place she expected to find herself was on the wing of one of the flying motorbikes. This one was obviously not the same the ones chasing them though; different structure, different paintjob, different insignia.

And she was pretty sure the bad guys' rides didn't have blue monkey-rabbits driving them.

The girl didn't take a huge amount of time to consider this oddity, opting instead to scramble into the seat behind Aerrow before she lost her balance and plummeted to her death. The creature hopped into the sidecar, leaving the Sky Knight to take the wheel. Handlebars. Whatever. "Nice catch, Radarr!" he called back over his shoulder, presumably to the animal that apparently wasn't a hallucination. Seeming to understand what the other teen was saying, the monkey-rabbit gave him a thumbs-up, chirping with enthusiasm. Kaelie just stared at it for a moment before turning forward, wondering why this didn't surprise her more than it did. Maybe she'd just accepted the fact that she was going insane.

"Okay. Once again, a little warning would've been terrific." Honestly, though, it was reassuring to know that they were on a relatively more even playing field with the guys chasing them. Although the bad guys clearly had an advantage at this point, since the odds were still about twenty to one. It took all of her self control to keep the yell from escaping her throat as the vehicle jerked suddenly, rolling out of the line of fire. "So, where's this cavalry you mentioned?" No sooner had the question left her lips than three more similar machines appeared from the very direction they were headed in. Well... two of them were similar. The third looked like the cross between a helicopter and a moped.

While the girl stared at the three machines, Aerrow just smiled, obviously knowing something she didn't. "_That_ would be them."

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Here they come to save the daaaaaayy! (Cue awesome Storm Hawks theme music)

Once again, any advice for writing a fight scene. I might need it.

Reviews are love. Flames will be acknowledged. Favorites and alerts will be worshipped.

Laterz!


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